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Ask HN: Why does most hiring happen through referrals?

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Re: Ask HN: Why does most hiring happen through referrals?

#11

Post by joeclark77 »

mooism2 wrote: post #6
BadCode wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That makes sense. Considering the resources required to shortlist candidates and interview them, companies would any day prefer to avoid it. Is there any relevant data, how many such jobs may exist that are not 'advertised'?

There is relevant data, but I don't know where it is, sorry. I am under the impression that this sort of under-the-radar hiring occurs enough to be a significant cause of institutional racism in hiring. (If your existing employees are disproportionately white, and their friends and acquaintances are disproportionately white, then new employees who fill a position before it is publicly advertised will be disproportion…

If no one is being racist, then it's not racism.

Re: Ask HN: Why does most hiring happen through referrals?

#12

Post by mooism2 »

joeclark77 wrote: post #11
mooism2 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is relevant data, but I don't know where it is, sorry. I am under the impression that this sort of under-the-radar hiring occurs enough to be a significant cause of institutional racism in hiring. (If your existing employees are disproportionately white, and their friends and acquaintances are disproportionately white, then new employees who fill a position before it is publicly advertised will be disproportion…

If no one is being racist, then it's not racism.

If you're disadvantaged because of your race, then it's racism.

It's important to be clear: the outcome is racist even when no individual is being racist. You can't be reductionist about this, you can't decompose the company into its individual employees and give any of them individually the blame for racist hiring outcomes. It's an emergent phenomenon: it is the company as a whole that is racist and the company as a whole that is at fault.

Re: Ask HN: Why does most hiring happen through referrals?

#13

Post by JSeymourATL »

Basic sales premise, people buy from people they know and like. The same is true in recruiting talent. Getting referred into a job opportunity, implies the stamp of social proof and reciprocity.

Recommend reading Influence by Robert Cialdini > http://www.amazon.com/Robert-B.-Cialdini/e/B000AP9KKG

Re: Ask HN: Why does most hiring happen through referrals?

#14

Post by joeclark77 »

mooism2 wrote: post #12
joeclark77 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If no one is being racist, then it's not racism.

If you're disadvantaged because of your race, then it's racism. It's important to be clear: the outcome is racist even when no individual is being racist. You can't be reductionist about this, you can't decompose the company into its individual employees and give any of them individually the blame for racist hiring outcomes. It's an emergent phenomenon: it is the company as a whole that is racist and the company as a…

This is politically-correct/Marxist protelariat/bourgeoisie nonsense. The human race is composed of individuals, not "classes" at war with one another.

Re: Ask HN: Why does most hiring happen through referrals?

#15

Post by mooism2 »

joeclark77 wrote: post #14
mooism2 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're disadvantaged because of your race, then it's racism. It's important to be clear: the outcome is racist even when no individual is being racist. You can't be reductionist about this, you can't decompose the company into its individual employees and give any of them individually the blame for racist hiring outcomes. It's an emergent phenomenon: it is the company as a whole that is racist and the company as a…

This is politically-correct/Marxist protelariat/bourgeoisie nonsense. The human race is composed of individuals, not "classes" at war with one another.

No, this is not about classes.

This is about organisations exhibiting qualities that none of the individuals who make up those organisations exhibit.

Re: Ask HN: Why does most hiring happen through referrals?

#16

Post by johan_larson »

People are (mostly) more reluctant to refer unqualified candidates they know personally than unqualified candidates are to apply to jobs. Hence the ones with insider references tend to be more qualified.

Also, judging skill through interviews or whatever is hard at best. Insiders know the people they are referring much better than the company does, even after interviews.

My guesses, anyway.

Re: Ask HN: Why does most hiring happen through referrals?

#18

Post by [deleted] »

joeclark77 wrote: post #14
mooism2 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're disadvantaged because of your race, then it's racism. It's important to be clear: the outcome is racist even when no individual is being racist. You can't be reductionist about this, you can't decompose the company into its individual employees and give any of them individually the blame for racist hiring outcomes. It's an emergent phenomenon: it is the company as a whole that is racist and the company as a…

This is politically-correct/Marxist protelariat/bourgeoisie nonsense. The human race is composed of individuals, not "classes" at war with one another.

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Why does most hiring happen through referrals?

#19

Post by joeclark77 »

mooism2 wrote: post #15
joeclark77 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is politically-correct/Marxist protelariat/bourgeoisie nonsense. The human race is composed of individuals, not "classes" at war with one another.

No, this is not about classes. This is about organisations exhibiting qualities that none of the individuals who make up those organisations exhibit.

What qualities? You have said that no one there acts in a racist way. No "person of color" who applies for a job is treated unfairly. Thus no racism occurs.

You can only imagine racism there if you see the races as "classes" (i.e. in the sense of Marxist class warfare) and feel that each class (not the individuals within it) has a right to a "share" of the company (i.e. a quota of jobs -- regardless of whether anyone in a particular class ever actually applied for a job and was treated unfairly). I know this is what the leftist professors in schools of "grievance studies" are peddling, but they have tenure requirements to meet. What's your excuse?

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